Health category, Page 118
Cold medicines are not for little kids, experts say
Experts agree that little kids, especially babies, should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. But studies have reached conflicting conclusions about whether doctors have been following or flouting that guidance. Now, a national study by Rutgers University researchers suggests doctors have curbed their use of most, but not...
Early study results suggest 2 Ebola treatments saving lives
WASHINGTON — Two of four experimental Ebola drugs being tested in Congo seem to be saving lives, international health authorities announced Monday. The preliminary findings prompted an early halt to a major study on the drugs and a decision to prioritize their use in the African country, where a yearlong...
CMU study: Football players can still have brain damage from hits without concussionVideo
Football players can still experience brain damage from repeated hits to the head even if they don’t result in a concussion, according to a study released Wednesday involving researchers from Carnegie Mellon. The news comes as teams across the country prepare to begin their football seasons this month. The study,...
Trump administration moves to enforce abortion restriction
WASHINGTON — Moving ahead despite objections, the Trump administration on Friday set a timetable for federally funded family clinics to comply with a new rule that bars them from referring women for abortions. The move is part of a series of efforts to remake government policy on reproductive health to...
Cryotherapy experts baffled by Antonio Brown’s frostbitten feet
The picture circulating on social media of Antonio Brown’s feet is reportedly the result of a cryotherapy session gone very wrong. From heel to toe, the bottoms of Brown’s feet are one big blister, with yellowish dying skin giving way to a shade of raw pink. Local cryotherapy experts wonder...
Boom in overdose-reversing drug is tied to fewer drug deaths
NEW YORK — Prescriptions of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone are soaring, and experts say that could be a reason overdose deaths have stopped rising for the first time in nearly three decades. The number of naloxone prescriptions dispensed by U.S. retail pharmacies doubled from 2017 to last year, rising from...
Sunburn tattoos? Don’t put your skin at risk, dermatologists sayVideo
Even if it’s not a good idea, somebody is bound to try it. Witness this summer’s social media buzz around “sunburn tattoos.” To create sunburn tattoos, tanners cover a portion of skin with a decal, stencil or sunscreen and then head out into the sun with the rest of their...
Does vitamin B-1 repel mosquitos?
As I sit here scratching a mosquito bite, I’m suddenly interested in a recent question from a patient. Do vitamin B1 supplements repel mosquitos? Here’s what I learned: Mosquitos transmit several diseases, including malaria and West Nile virus. And they find their hosts (you and me) mostly by their sense...
5 threats to heart health
Many people can recite the major risk factors for heart disease, the stuff of posters, public service ads and dire warnings: smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, lack of exercise. But what about air pollution, loneliness, lack of green space, lack of sleep and stress? They’re elements of...
Health Happenings – Aug. 6, 2019
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. today, Excela Square at Latrobe, 100 Excela Health Drive — 1-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Community United Methodist Church, Route 130, Irwin — Noon-4:30 p.m. Friday, Export Italian American Club, 5930 Kennedy Ave. — 1-5 p.m. Monday,...
Need information on safe cosmetics? Here are some resources
When Ovie Marshall, an esthetician at The Spa at Aestique in Hempfield, decided to use natural beauty and skin care products, she says she found valuable information in Stacy Malkan’s 2007 book, “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.” The book asserts that (as of...
Test is first in U.S. to help detect new STD threat
It is hard to get much of a reputation if nobody knows you’re around, and that has definitely been the case for mycoplasma genitalium, the tiny bacteria estimated to be more prevalent than the bug that causes gonorrhea but is almost completely off the public’s radar. That’s because, until very...
Locally made skin-care products and cosmetics find their niche
“You are what you eat” has long been a folksy tenet of good health. Increasingly, people are coming around to the notion that you also are what you put on your body in the form of skin-care and beauty products. Ovie Marshall, a medical and laser esthetician at The Spa...
Eddie Bauer, Disney infant sleepers recalled
Two more models of inclined infant sleepers have been recalled because of safety concerns. Dorel Juvenile Group USA has recalled about 24,000 0f its Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Bassinet and its Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinet sleepers in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While no injuries...
Cancer survivors share stories on Allegheny Health Network podcast
Allegheny Health Network has launched a podcast aimed at sharing stories from area cancer survivors. The weekly podcast “I Had Cancer” is a partnership between AHN and iHeart Radio that “aims to engage, educate and inspire cancer patients and survivors and their loved ones by telling the stories of some...
Duquesne University launches plans for osteopathic medical school
Duquesne University plans to add an osteopathic medical school to its offerings with an eye toward turning out more family practitioners, officials said Thursday. University officials said the school aims to enroll its first class of 75 students in fall 2023 with the hope of bringing enrollment to 600 once...
U.S. to set up plan allowing prescription meds from Canada
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will create a way for Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of refusals by health authorities amid a public outcry over high prices for life-sustaining medications. The move is a step...
Art for Recovery to bring its mission to Greensburg Music Fest
Art for Recovery and Transformation will participate in the second annual Greensburg Music Fest on Sept. 13, by hosting an interactive painting activity and an art show and sale featuring some artists who are in recovery. The organization will have a booth in the night market section of the festival....
CMS names underperforming nursing homes for ‘Special Focus Facility’ program
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has published a list of more than 400 poor performing nursing homes that are candidates for federal intervention, six weeks after pledging to make the secret list publicly available following its disclosure last month by Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators. The list, released July 16, identifies...
Here’s what you might not know about dehydration in the summer heatVideo
What you need to know • There’s more to dehydration than you might think. In addition to increased thirst, dehydration has other common symptoms including dark urine, dry skin, headaches and muscle cramps, Harris said. Other times, however, the symptoms could be confused for something other than dehydration, according to...
Opioids, ankle sprains, meniscus tears and more news from orthopedics research
While the numbers of opioid prescriptions and overdose deaths in the U.S. recently have declined for the first time in years, experts continue to be concerned at how and why the painkilling medicines are being prescribed. Once reserved for only the most severe kinds of pain, opioid medicines have been...
How to tell if your upset stomach is a viral infection
An upset stomach can be a result of many things. When symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and fever, chances are it’s a viral infection. “A viral gastroenteritis, which we sometimes call ‘a stomach bug’ or ‘a stomach flu,’ is a common reason for having an acute onset of vomiting and diarrhea,...
Health Happenings – Jul. 30, 2019
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 1-5 p.m. Friday, New Life Tabernacle, 851 S. Center Ave., Hunker — 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 6, Excela Square at Latrobe, 100 Excela Health Drive Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • These classes will meet in...
Spicy diet linked to dementia, study says
Do you add hot sauce to many of your favorite dishes? Beware, because a spicy diet could raise your dementia risk. Researchers from the University of South Australia recently conducted a study, published in the Nutrients journal, to explore the association between chili intake and cognitive function. To do so,...
Study: Home-delivered meals could save money for Medicare
WASHINGTON — Medicare could save $1.57 for every dollar spent delivering free healthy meals to frail seniors after a hospitalization, according to a new study that comes as lawmakers look to restrain costs by promoting patients’ well-being. The report Thursday from the Bipartisan Policy Center addresses ways that Medicare can...
